Etourneau, Johan; Schneider, Ralph R; Blanz, Thomas; Martinez, Philippe (2010): Sea surface temperature reconstruction for the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate transition [dataset publication series]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.786701, Supplement to: Etourneau, J et al. (2010): Intensification of the Walker and Hadley atmospheric circulations during the Pliocene-Pleistocene climate transition. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 297(1-2), 103-110, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.06.010
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Abstract:
When comparing new sea surface temperature (SST) records between the western and eastern equatorial Pacific spanning the last 3.2 Ma, we found that the zonal temperature gradient over the entire tropical Pacific irreversibly increased by 3 to 4 °C from 2.2 to 2.0 Ma. Here, we suggest a pronounced increase in atmospheric circulation from a weak to a strong zonal Walker circulation (WC) during the early Pleistocene. Evidence from other oceanic areas also suggests a strengthening in the meridional Hadley circulation (HC) during the same time period. Therefore, we also suggest that the invigoration of both atmospheric circulation patterns was intimately coupled during the Plio-Pleistocene transition, and likely linked to a shrinkage in the zonal extension of the tropical to subtropical warm-sphere associated with a prominent increase in the pole to equator temperature gradient. Our conclusion refutes assumptions that the intensification of atmospheric circulation in the tropics and subtropics significantly contributed to the initiation of continental ice sheet formation at high latitudes, since the onset of extensive Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) occurred ~2.75 Ma ago, in the late Pliocene. Instead, the development of a stronger atmospheric circulation ~2.2-2.0 Ma ago could have significantly contributed to the Plio-Pleistocene climate cooling.
Project(s):
Ocean Drilling Program (ODP)
Coverage:
Median Latitude: -14.422317 * Median Longitude: 28.726723 * South-bound Latitude: -42.913600 * West-bound Longitude: -82.080830 * North-bound Latitude: 0.319000 * East-bound Longitude: 159.361000
Date/Time Start: 1990-02-17T20:45:00 * Date/Time End: 2002-05-13T09:10:00
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-3.0)
Size:
3 datasets
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Datasets listed in this publication series
- Etourneau, J; Schneider, RR; Blanz, T et al. (2010): (Appendix 2) UK'37 index and sea surface temperature reconstruction of ODP Site 130-806. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.786693
- Etourneau, J; Schneider, RR; Blanz, T et al. (2010): (Appendix 3) UK'37 index and sea surface temperature reconstruction of ODP Hole 177-1090D. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.786700
- Etourneau, J; Schneider, RR; Blanz, T et al. (2010): (Appendix 1) UK'37 index and sea surface temperature reconstruction of ODP Hole 202-1239A. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.786692